I agree with comments pertaining to Sprint; they have good customer service and competitive prices. Unfortunately, their coverage is not the best - supposedly, their LTE coverage will increase by the end of this year: I sure hope that's the case. If we could combine Sprint's prices and unlimited data with AT&T/Verizon coverage, we would have the perfect cell phone company.

3:19 pm August 4, 2013

T wrote:

I'll echo "Jason B's"' satisfaction with his T-Mobile plan. I have the same plan (monthly bill is ~$32), and purchased a Nexus 4 for $300. The $50 I'm saving per month will pay off my phone in roughly 7 months, after which any additional time I spend on that plan will be a monthly savings of that $50. I'm not locked in to a contract, I can switch any time I want, and I can upgrade my phone any time I want. If there's a new Nexus released in the fall and I want to upgrade, I can. If I want to wait ~3+ years in between upgrades, I can do that too. It's a great relief to separate the phone from the wireless carrier, and the total savings is incredible.

I also get instantaneous updates to the latest Android (currently 4.3), and my phone has NONE of the junk that the wireless carriers put on, nor the junk that the manufacturers put on top of Android (Sense/TouchWiz).

It's not perfect, and you only get data on T-Mobile's towers (their on-contract plans allow for data roaming on other carrier's towers) but in general it's been GREAT!

4:26 pm August 4, 2013

Greg wrote:

I'm also a straight talk user, I don't tell my friends or coworkers because "prepaid" still has a stigma to it. It's great, I paid for a year of service upfront with my credit card and paid it off before the end of the month. Not only did I get a discount for paying for a year upfront I also got 2% from my credit card.

In all a year of service cost $485 + tax which equaled to $506. I know co-workers who pay $90-110 a month on verizon or at&t.

11:04 pm August 4, 2013

B wrote:

I don't use much voice and my data usage is mostly at known locations, so this setup works well and is low cost:

Smart phone: Google Nexus, buy from Google, almost half the price of the competition.
For voice I use an AT&T GoPhone prepaid plan. This has no data plan.
For data I use WiFi hot spots, and a mobile WiFi hotspot in my car with a prepaid data plan via Sprint.

6:03 am August 5, 2013

Mike Martin wrote:

In an old movie "operation Petticoat" in an effort to steal needed supplies for the submarine The part played by Tony Curtis and his helper Ramone are preparing to go out and steal/scrounge during an enemy bombing raid, when asked why they were going out during a raid he answers " In confusion there is profit ' and off they go with the truck. it still applies.

8:16 am August 5, 2013

tom johnson wrote:

Our problem is getting any cell service at all. Out here in flyover country (as well as many other rural locations across the country), you can't assume you have service and even then, it may be only one carrier that has any service. I still can't "hear them now" in many locations across the US. Coverage maps of carriers are quite inaccurate. Cell phones work in cities and suburbs, not so much in other places.

8:59 am August 5, 2013

WW wrote:

You don't have to be in flyover country to have coverage preferences. I stick with Verizon because its strength is best in my metropolitan region (there are still a couple of leafy suburbs where towers are unwelcome, but that affects all carriers).. When I go to Manhattan it is clear that ATT is the carrier of choice. My family in Chicago always used T Mobile. When I was forced to use Sprint for work it was ghastly, but that was a while ago. We also bundle the wireless bill for two users with a full FIOS package at home, and get further discounts.

9:37 am August 5, 2013

Jay wrote:

When I left AT&T after 7 years, they sent me bills that were borderline fraud if not outright fraud. My last contract went from 03/02/2011 until 03/01/2013. But they conveniently miscalculated the ending date as 03/02/2013 (I believe this impacts all customers). Even when I canceled on the last day, they sent me a $105 Early Termination Fee bill!
Moreover, they billed me until the end of the next month AFTER the contract, claiming their company policy not to pro-rate the bill. The issue happens because they set the billing cycle to end 28 days after the contract ends, so even after ending the contract, they make you pay for one more month.Of course, the customer has no say in setting the billing cycle.
What a scam!

9:43 am August 5, 2013

Jay wrote:

Everyone should remember that they are paying their wireless bills one month in ADVANCE. Wireless service is not like electric, cable, and other utilities where you pay after getting the service. That's why their "credit check" should be banned because they have no credit risk exposure to you, they already got your money upfront every month.
When you go to end your wireless service, make sure not to pay the last bill that they send after service ends. You already paid for the last month, they are just fooling you!

10:06 am August 5, 2013

TRT wrote:

I left Verizon for Sprint largely to get away from the forced insertion of those stupid voicemail instructions placed after the outgoing message and before the beep. Sprint appears to be the sole cell company that does not impose this idiocy on service that I am paying for. Perhaps instructions how to use voicemail was appropriate in the late 1970's but now it is a blatant ploy to incrementally run up airtime and adds an unprofessional segment to one's outgoing message. Sprint's reception is serviceable in most places but admittedly spotty in some. It is improving constantly though.

1:41 pm August 5, 2013

Eli Bensaky wrote:

I really like our T-Mobile plan. Everything is unlimited BUT connections and calls are iffy. We'll have to find a new provider in November, unfortunately

1:49 pm August 5, 2013

jalapenochomper wrote:

For my household of 5 persons in ABQ, I average slightly over $200/month on gas, water, sewer, trash, internet, 2 landlines, and electricity. To buy minimal smart phone service in a package for all 5 would easily exceed all of my other utilities combined. It would exceed my current car payment. I don't get it.

Tmobile has basic family service that lets the teens text for all they are worth. $95 for 5 lines. I buy non-smart phones at Target. I told the kids they could buy all of the fancy little blinking lights they want if they pay the difference. So far the kids don't get it either.

1:52 pm August 5, 2013

Hank wrote:

We've used pre-paid cards from T-mobile for over 5 years now. Don't use voice/text much at all, so after the first $100 card, our yearly, yes YEARLY bill works out to less than $100/per phone (we have three). What's astounding to me is that the pre-paid service works in Canada, Europe and the rest of the world, albeit at higher rates.
Last year I bought an LG Android and can use the phones Wi-Fi capability for better connections indoors, while getting all the the data i want, for free, without a data plan. If I use Vonage's app over Wi-FI, I can make calls to any US number for free, from anywhere in the world

1:55 pm August 5, 2013

HorribleCompany wrote:

Space does not permit, but I love to tell my $600 for one month of the absolute worst costumer experience I have ever had in my life with Sprint. Writing letters and even the CEO was futile. Any single empowered person could have earned Sprint $1000's in revenue as this happened years ago and I have never switched since. I have stopped at least 3 people from swiching, probably more. I clearly laid this out showing the $$ on the table but not one single person had the power to correct their mistake.
I now love to read reports of their financial struggles and wish them the worst. Unfortunately, when I tell my story I find experiences like mine all too common in this industry.

2:06 pm August 5, 2013

jalapenochomper wrote:

Hank, I used that Tmobile plan for many years before the teens started eating me up with per text charges. At least at the time, once you 'bought in' with a $100 card you could actually keep the line active for $10/year. Worked great and I never spent more than a monthly plan even when I had 4 phones. It would not be ideal for a business, but for light users it is fabulous.

All you have to do is look at what users in 3rd world countries pay for smart phone service to know we are getting magnificently robbed by these companies. As my old economics professor used to clearly show, the definition of a monopoly is a business that has a dozen different rates for the same service where the only difference is the relative wealth of the customer.

2:23 pm August 5, 2013

netslave wrote:

For anyone that gets good T-mobile coverage in their area it is a no brainer to switch to T-Mo monthly 4G plans.

4:25 pm August 5, 2013

My two cents wrote:

I was hoping one day we have the "Freedom phones". Right from the times the phone was invented it had always been a way of money making machine. More the inconvenience more the profit. In Africa and India any one can have a phone with no plan and nothing to pay and incoming calls are free. Why in the richest country in the world but are stifled to pay for both incoming and outcoing that is getting paid twice for the same time. You are free not to have a plan, please try you will soon find out.

I am dreaming of the day when there will be no dispute over the bill, and I would like to pay on my own terms prepaid or post pay same price. It is my choice to buy a phone in the open market not lock'em up and you will pay only for the incoming calls

I have T-Mobile and I dont use data plan, they put me in a plan that is $50 more and I am trying to get to the management - no way - it hold after hold after hold and you give up. May be they should name it as wait - mobile

9:05 pm August 5, 2013

Evejune wrote:

I have had a T-Mobile prepaid plan for several years which I use with a basic Samsung phone that I bought from T-Mobile. The plan has costs me $100 a year for about 1,000 minutes which I slowly use during the year. I don't use it much at home, but use it quite a bit when I travel. I have been happy with the service, except for the fact that the signal is weak in some places that I visit. But I am usually able to put calls through. I have voicemail, and could send text messages if I wanted to. But I don't do this. I do receive text messages. I have two iPod Touches which give me many of the features of the iPhone, and I like them very much. I also have two Apple laptops, and usually take one with me when I travel.

I have enjoyed reading the messages and learning of other people's experiences with their phones, and how they have looked for the cheapest options. I have been considering getting an iPhone, but am a little put off by going from $100 a year to $100 a month (Verizon). I would have an iPhone5 which is one generation higher than my iPod Touch, but I don't know whether or not it is worth it. My kids, who are all very geeky, have iPhones, and like them. My nephew has an iPhone and loves the video and photos he gets on it. He is a journalist and professional photographer, and has really good camera equipment, as well. Reasons for having an iPhone go beyond simple costs of network to other things that they can do with their phones which, of course, I can't do on my little Samsung. Can do some of them on my iPod Touch with no network costs whatsoever, using wireless network in my home.

FWIW: One of my sons works as a computer engineer for Verizon. He got me into the T-Mobile prepaid idea several years ago, and bought my first phone for me. He and his wife both had them and he thought it was the cheapest option at the time--even though he was, and is, a Verizon employee. Like me, they both had iPod Touches. Recently, however, they each got an iPhone5 through Verizon (of course), and are happy with them.

9:33 pm August 5, 2013

VZUsers wrote:

Why do only 1% switch? I have a family plan...every line has a different end date, add to that even more different phone renew dates...it would take me nearly 2 years to "age off" my current VZ plan if I don't want to pay early termination fees.

10:35 am August 7, 2013

galsalmae@me.com wrote:

I am very negative about the phone companies, their schemes, their plans. Trickery at its finest; time for, enough, enough from Americans. Money is a powerful thing for consumers to waste. Just keep sending your money down the drain. It seems to be the American way.

11:25 am August 12, 2013

Wally J. wrote:

Let's not forget to look at our monthly bills and see where most of the charges come from......and you will be surprised. Have you added up the fees, surcharges, taxes, etc.?
Administrative Fees: County Gross Receipts Surcharge; Federal Universal Service Charge; MTA Telecom Surcharge; Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge; State Telecommunications Excess Surcharge; 9-1-1- Service Fee; City District Sales Tax - Telecom; City Sales Tax - Telecom; Local Wireless 911 Surcharge; NYS Sales Tax-Telecom;...wow do we even know what these are? I doubt it.
In the end, all of these extra charges on my monthly bill from ATT (with two lines on it) comes to over $22.00

Now I ask you...who is ripping us off? We buy the plan we want from the cell phone company we want. We buy the phones we want. But who wants to buy all these surcharges? Perhaps the Fed, State and Local governments should back off on these charges. That would help us all.

4:09 pm August 22, 2013

Don wrote:

Well, I am lucky... the company I work for requires me to have a cellphone and they pay for it. I've never had a cellphone bill. It all seems to be a huge rip off, and everytime I try to read the terms of their offers I just set it down and forget about it. My free Blackberry Curve (non-smart phone) is just fine.

8:01 pm October 7, 2013

David wrote:

Being frauded by both t mobile and verizon. payinf full price to see my mifi and phone services constantly disconnect or work so slowly that it's a scam. They make hundreds to almost a thousand off me a year, and it never works, i am forced to drive far distances to have stores repair problems or call their service number to fix iit, and they never give a refund. class action lawsuit should put them into courts where they belong, for selling untested equipment in the marketplace. they are using customers as guinny pigs to test their products on.

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